Report. Long-Range Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan. Middle Peninsula Rideshare- Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission (MPPDC)

Transcription

1 Long-Range Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan Middle Peninsula Rideshare- Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission (MPPDC) Report prepared for Middle Peninsula Rideshare prepared by Cambridge Systematics, Inc. with Center for Urban Transportation Research LDA Consulting Southeastern Institute of Research May 2010

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3 Working Draft report Long-Range Transportation Demand Management (TDM) Plan Middle Peninsula Rideshare Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission (MPPDC) prepared for Middle Peninsula Rideshare prepared by Cambridge Systematics, Inc Hampden Lane, Suite 800 Bethesda, Maryland with Center for Urban Transportation Research LDA Consulting Southeastern Institute of Research date May 2010

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5 Table of Contents 1.0 Purpose of the Plan Overview of Rideshare History of TDM Program Governance & Organizational Structure Governance Organizational Structure Key Stakeholders Service Area Profile Description of Service Area Transportation Facilities Roadways Public Transportation Commuter Bus Service Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Park-and-Ride Lots Demographic Profile Employment Profile Existing Travel Patterns Mode Split State of the Commute Summary (2007) Current TDM Programs and Services Customers Programs and Services Carpools and Ridematching Vanpool Matching/Leasing Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Employer Services Telework Bicycling/Walking Public Transportation Marketing Related Mobility Programs Future Middle Peninsula Rideshare Service Area Profile Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan i

6 Table of Contents, continued 3.1 Projected Demographics Projected Employment Areas of Growth Transportation Facilities Land Use Trends Essex County Gloucester County King and Queen County King William County Mathews County Middlesex County Projected Travel Patterns External Trends Aging Population Environmentalism and Sustainability Growing Involvement of Employers in TDM Changing Nature of Work Automobile Cost of Operation Rideshare Strategic Plan Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, and Threats (SWOT) Strengths Weaknesses Opportunities Threats Rideshare Mission & Vision Goals & Objectives Coordination with Other Plans & Programs Process for Developing Goals & Objectives Agency Goals, Objectives, and Strategies Program Monitoring and Evaluation Financial Plan Current Budget and Financial Resources Future Financial Resources Short-Term (one to six years) Unconstrained Program Description Potential Funding Sources ii Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan

7 5.2.2 Medium- and Long-term (seven to 25 years) Unconstrained Program Description Potential Funding Sources Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan iii

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9 List of Tables Table 2.1 Rideshare Staff Descriptions Table 2.2 Park-and-Ride Locations in the Rideshare Service Area Table 2.3 Estimated Demographic Profile ( ) Table 2.4 Top 10 Employers in Rideshare s Service Area Table 2.5 Top 10 Areas Residents Commute To & Workers Commute From Table 2.6 Average Commute Trip Time and Length Table 2.7 Potential New Teleworkers in MPPDC Table 3.1 Demographic Changes ( ) Table 3.2 Estimated Employment Levels Table 4.2 Rideshare Data Collection Table 4.3 Potential Rideshare Performance Measures Table 5.1 Rideshare FY Operating Budgets Table 5.2 Rideshare FY Operating Revenue Sources Table 5.3. Unconstrained Short-Term Program Plan Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan v

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11 List of Figures Figure 2.1 MPPDC Organizational Chart Figure 2.2 Map of Rideshare Service Area Figure 2.3 Congestion Rates (Vehicle Miles Traveled per Road Mile) in Virginia Regions Figure 2.4 Major Commuter Lots in the Rideshare Service Area Figure 2.5 Ratio of Park and Ride Spaces to Commuters Figure 2.6 Population Growth in MPPDC and Virginia Figure 2.7 Employment Population Density in Virginia Regions Figure 2.8 Drive Alone Rates in Virginia Regions Figure 2.9 MPPDC Use of Alternatives to Drive Alone Commute Figure 2.10 Percentage of Outbound Commuters by Region Figure 2.11 Commuting Patterns (2000) Figure 2.12 Percent Satisfied with their Commute in Virginia Regions Figure 2.13 Reasons MPPDC Commuters Use Alternative Modes Figure 2.14 Primary Mode if Employer Makes TDM Services Available Figure 2.15 Teleworkers and Telework Programs in MPPDC Figure 2.16 Awareness of Rideshare Program Figure 2.17 Advertising Recall Figure 3.1 Percent of MPPDC Commuters Who Think It Is Important to Invest in Transit/TDM Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan vii

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13 1.0 Purpose of the Plan Transportation Demand Management (TDM), according to the U.S. Department of Transportation, is any program designed to reduce demand for transportation through various means, such as use of transit and of alternative work hours. TDM agencies throughout Virginia promote ridesharing and other transportation alternatives to single-occupancy vehicles (SOV) in order to assist individuals seeking transportation options to their workplaces and other destinations, to mitigate congestion on Virginia s roadways, and to reduce environmental impacts caused by vehicle emissions, roadway expansion, and other transportation-related factors. Relative to other transportation programs, most TDM agencies have negligible capital costs and operate using short-term (typically 1-2 year) funding horizons. As a result, many of these agencies have not previously been empowered to fully participate in long-range planning processes for their respective programs. Middle Peninsula Rideshare (Rideshare) is the designated TDM agency tasked with advancing alternatives to the drive alone commute through innovative programs serving the Middle Peninsula region, including the Counties of Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews and Middlesex and the Towns of Tappahannock, Urbanna and West Point. As the region is working to preserve its high quality of life, conserve valuable natural resources, and provide needed services to a gradually changing and aging population, Rideshare has begun preparing for future needs today. This document presents Rideshare s long-range operational plan for 2010 through It builds upon the successes and challenges of the Middle Peninsula region and the transportation infrastructure that services the region today. This plan outlines a strategic framework (goals and objectives) for the agency, as well as program enhancements and financial resources that will be necessary to maintain the Rideshare program as a relevant, customer-focused go-to resource for commuters and employers in the Middle Peninsula region in the future. This document also fulfills the TDM plan requirement established by the Virginia Department of Rail and Public Transportation (DRPT). Beginning in 2009, DRPT required all agencies receiving TDM State grant funds to prepare, adopt, and submit a long-range TDM Plan for their agency. The purpose of this Plan is to: identify and detail the TDM programs currently provided in the agency s service area, outline potential improvements to be carried out in the Plan s timeframe, and illustrate the financial resources necessary to implement these programs and improvements. More specifically, the Plan will: Serve as a management and policy document for each TDM Agency; Provide DRPT with information necessary to fulfill related planning and programming requirements; Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan 1-1

14 Document current and proposed future operating budgets for each TDM agency; and Provide all information necessary to include each TDM program into the Six-Year Improvement Program (SYIP), Statewide Transportation Improvement Program (STIP), Transportation Improvement Program (TIP), and Constrained Long-Range Plan (CLRP). This Plan incorporates relevant information from each agency s existing TDM planning documents and is consistent with long-range plans prepared by local and regional planning organizations, the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), and DRPT. 1-2 Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan

15 2.0 Overview of Rideshare 2.1 HISTORY OF TDM PROGRAM The Middle Peninsula Planning District Commission (MPPDC) was established in April 1972 as one of 21 authorized Planning District Commissions (PDCs), pursuant to the 1968 Virginia Area Development Act. The purpose of Planning District Commissions, as set out in the Code of Virginia, Section , is...to encourage and facilitate local government cooperation and state-local cooperation in addressing on a regional basis problems of greater than local significance and to promote orderly and efficient development of the physical, social, and economic elements of the district by planning, encouraging and assisting governmental subdivisions to plan for the future. The MPPDC serves as a subsidiary to the Counties of Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews and Middlesex and the Towns of Tappahannock, Urbanna and West Point. The Middle Peninsula Rideshare (Rideshare) program was formed as a program of the MPPDC in 1985 and owes its initial and continuous success to a very enthusiastic Executive Director. A notable milestone that highlights the program s early contributions occurred during the reconstruction and widening of the Coleman Bridge in The Coleman Bridge is a swing bridge that spans the York River between Gloucester County and York County at Yorktown, carries US Highway 17 along its span, and provides access to several military installation job sites including the US Navy s Naval Weapons Station Yorktown. The bridge, which connects the Peninsula and Middle Peninsula regions of Tidewater, was reconstructed through an unusual floating process which reduced the time this important commuter artery was out of service. During the reconstruction period, the Rideshare program successfully worked hand-in-hand with the construction staff to move commuters across the river, thereby demonstrating its role as a capable team player in resolving significant commuter access and bottleneck issues. Today, the Rideshare program covers a service area of 1,387 square miles that includes a population of 92,000 residents and 23,743 employees. In line with its Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan 2-1

16 original mission, the program continues to provide ridesharing services to assist persons who are seeking transportation from Rideshare s service area to employment and other destinations in Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads. The program also links commuters to existing area vanpools and to VSPI, Inc a major private provider of commuter vanpool transportation services for assistance in forming new carpools. Rideshare s Guaranteed Ride Home (GRH) Program offers a rental car reimbursement to existing carpoolers and vanpoolers to ensure that they have a reliable alternative to return home during personal or family emergencies, unexpected requirements to work late, or vehicle breakdowns. The program also helps a limited number of employers by providing information about transportation alternatives, including employee carpool formation, company vanpool formation, and employee transportation benefits information. As one of the region s small employers, the MPPDC offers a teleworking arrangement to its employees. This option is utilized by a number of its planning staff who commute from Richmond. There are no existing or planned brick-and-mortar telework centers in the region. The lack of broadband connectivity, the limited size and dispersed nature of the employer occupational base, and absence of congested conditions within the region remain as key impediments to the potential of advancing telecommuting as a viable alternative to traditional work arrangements. 2.2 GOVERNANCE & ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE Governance The MPPDC (Commission), which sponsors the Rideshare Program as part of its annual workplan, is governed by a Board of Commissioners a total of 25 locally elected officials and citizens who represent the six counties and three towns which comprise Planning District 18 Middle Peninsula. The Commission is supported by nine staff positions, including: an Executive Director who oversees the entire Commission and its programs, a Director of Regional Planning, several Regional Projects Planners, an Administrative Assistant/Rideshare Coordinator/On-Site Program Manager, and a Secretary. The Rideshare Program Manager and Regional Projects Planner, who support the program on a part-time basis, report directly to the Commission s Executive Director. The Executive Director provides a regular written summary of activities for each program conducted by the PDC including activities performed by Rideshare to the entire Board of Commissioners through a monthly Executive Director s Report of Staff Activities. The MPPDC approves funding and overall program design for the Commission and its programs, including the Rideshare program, and authorizes local matching funds on an annual basis. The localities determine the overall level of MPPDC s funding which, in turn, sets the level of matching funds available for the Rideshare program. 2-2 Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan

17 2.2.2 Organizational Structure The design of the overall program of the MPPDC for Fiscal Year (FY) 2010, based on the most recently available information, outlines 12 general program areas, including: 1. Administration; 2. Local Daily Technical Assistance; 3. Strategic Planning; 4. Economic and Community Development; 5. Water Quality Planning; 6. Transportation Planning; 7. Public Safety; 8. Regional Information Center; 9. Regional Educational Workshops/Forums; 10. Legislative Monitoring Services; 11. Regional Service Delivery; and 12. Intergovernmental Review. TDM services operated under Rideshare are one of the activities that support the Transportation Planning program, which includes: other transportation activities of general interest to the PDC, special studies, data collection and analysis, and coordination and advocacy activities. The execution of the Transportation Planning program and its supporting activities falls under the responsibility of the Executive Director, Director of Regional Planning, Regional Projects Planners, and the Rideshare Coordinator. Funding support for the Transportation Planning program comes from a variety of sources, including: the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) Rural Transportation Planning Assistance, DRPT s Transportation Demand Management Program, and local funds. The Rideshare program is supported part-time by two staff members, whose titles and major responsibilities are shown in Table 2.1. Both employees have other duties in addition to those which specifically relate to Rideshare. For example, the Rideshare Coordinator also supports the Regional Educational Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan 2-3

18 Workshops/Forums, which comprise another program area within MPPDC 1 ; performs duties related to intergovernmental review of financial assistance applications; and supports the general administration covering all program areas, including financial management. The Regional Projects Planner also performs other grant-supported planning activities in addition to the Safe Routes to School project, which falls under the Rideshare program. Table 2.1 Rideshare Staff Descriptions FTE Position Job Description 0.25 Rideshare Coordinator Administers Rideshare program, advertises and promotes program, oversees employer outreach activities, provides ridematching and direct customer services 0.1 Regional Projects Planner Provides technical assistance, including assisting interested localities with applying for and developing Safe Routes to School Programs and Infrastructure Projects, updating the Middle Peninsula Regional Bicycle Plan, and mapping Source: Rideshare 1 The Regional Workshops/Forums Program encourages the sponsorship of meetings, seminars and workshops for local elected and appointed officials, local government administrators, local economic developers, and local opinion leaders covering such topics as economic development, Commission functions and activities, leadership techniques, local government operations, environmental management, and others. 2-4 Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan

19 Figure 2.1 MPPDC Organizational Chart Source: Rideshare Key Stakeholders Several local governments and regional agencies comprise Rideshare s key organizational stakeholder base. These stakeholders are the primary funders, service delivery partners, and beneficiaries of Rideshare s services, including: MPPDC As Rideshare s governing agency, MPPDC is a key organizational stakeholder for the program. Rideshare benefits from the shared overhead and support services it receives as a program of MPPDC. In turn, the multicounty Middle Peninsula region served by MPPDC accrues benefits from the commuter services provided by Rideshare. MPPDC member jurisdictions The Rideshare program depends on the MPPDC jurisdictions, comprised of nine separate government agencies, to provide the 20 percent annual local match to maintain program operations. The ability to garner local support is crucial, and has a direct influence on the Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan 2-5

20 funding amount requested from the State in the annual grant application process. MPPDC Commuters and Employers - Commuter residents and local employers in the Counties of Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews, and Middlesex as well as the Towns of Tappahannock, Urbanna, and West Point are the key customers of Rideshare, which offers them alternatives to single occupancy vehicle commuting. DRPT DRPT is Rideshare s primary funding agency, providing the bulk share of funding amounting to 80 percent of the overall budget to support the program. Rideshare looks to DRPT to support, guide, and promote TDM at the State level. Bay Transit Bay Transit is the main on-demand transit service provider in the Middle Peninsula and one of the primary human service mobility providers in the region. Rideshare promotes Bay Transit s services to residents and partners with the agency to identify new service needs. Newton Bus Service Newton Bus Service is another service delivery partner that the Rideshare program promotes in its Commuter Guide brochure and in the Public Transportation section of its website. Newton Bus Service based in Gloucester and with a satellite facility in Richmond offers private commuter bus service to the Peninsula Area and charter bus service to other destinations. TRAFFIX and RideFinders These two major service delivery partners comprise neighboring TDM agencies that service the Hampton Roads and Richmond areas, respectively. With the high volume of commuters traveling to these two regions, cooperation and coordination with services offered by these agencies is required in order to offer the best service to local residents. VDOT While the Rideshare program does not directly interact with or draw funding support from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT), the Rideshare program is highly dependent on infrastructure that is maintained and/or operated by the Department; notably, several park and ride lots to which the program directs commuters who take advantage of carpooling and/or vanpooling. Through its Rural Transportation Assistance Program, VDOT is more influential in the support of other program areas within the MPPDC, including Strategic Planning, Rural Transportation Planning activities, the Regional Information Center data program, and Regional Educational Workshops/Forums. 2-6 Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan

21 2.3 SERVICE AREA PROFILE Description of Service Area The Middle Peninsula region is located south and east of Fredericksburg, east of Richmond, and north of Hampton Roads three areas within a long-distance commute. The region is bounded by the Chesapeake Bay to the east, the York River to the south, the Rappahannock River to the north and east, and Caroline County to the west. The service area comprises approximately 1,387 square miles and is home to about 92,000 residents and 23,743 employees. Rideshare s service area, as shown by the map in Figure 2.2, is characterized by rural, low density residential and agricultural land uses. Population density in the Middle Peninsula is extremely low in comparison to other areas of the Commonwealth. The entire region contains less than 500 persons per square mile. The community of Gloucester Point in Gloucester County, and the Town of West Point in King William County, and the Town of Tappahannock in Essex County are small urban clusters within the region that are home to employers and potential travel destinations. Travel and recreation in the Middle Peninsula region is very much shaped by its access to the Chesapeake Bay and other bodies of water, including the two large rivers Rappahannock and York. The area has over 150 private marinas, boat ramps and public landings that provide convenient water access to residents and visitors. Opportunities for swimming, sailing, canoeing, fishing, skiing, boating and other water related activities are made possible by the Chesapeake Bay, rivers, ponds, creeks and streams in the region. The Virginia Department of Conservation and Recreation (DCR) has identified 32 Federally or state-protected conservation sites on the Middle Peninsula, including the Bethel Beach Natural Area Preserve in Mathews County. Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan 2-7

22 Figure 2.2 Map of Rideshare Service Area Source: Middle Peninsula Coordinated Human Services Mobility Plan, Transportation Facilities The Middle Peninsula region is served by a transportation system consisting primarily of several US and State highway routes and multiple secondary roads that connect these primary roadways. Multimodal transportation facilities in the region that are common in more urban areas -- including transit access, bicycle paths, and sidewalk facilities are either very limited or non-existent in the Middle Peninsula region. There is no fixed-route public transit service; only an on-demand service is available between the hours of 6:00am and 6:00pm with a 24-hour advanced notice requirement. Availability of pedestrian infrastructure 2-8 Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan

23 in moderately good condition is limited to portions of the region s towns. Sidewalks are rarely found outside the town borders in the rural outskirts of each county. Roadways The roadway system is by far the most widely used element of the region s transportation network. State Routes 14, 198, and 33, in addition to US Routes 17 and 360, serve as the primary corridors through the six-county region. Two bridges connecting the Middle Peninsula region to the Northern Neck Peninsula to the north are located along US Route 360 and State Route 3. The Coleman Bridge connects the Middle Peninsula to the south along US Route 17. Two bridges into the Town of West Point on State Route 33 connect the region to Interstate 64, providing access to the west. Due to the Middle Peninsula s rural character and distance from major interstate commuter routes (e.g. I-95), the region has not experienced much congestion issues on its roadways. Although many Middle Peninsula residents commute long distances to work, travel delays related to congestion within the region are not a major concern. As shown in Figure 2.3, the 2007 Virginia State of the Commute Study compared vehicle miles traveled (VMT) per road mile between the various regions in the Commonwealth as a simple measure of congestion. According to this measure, the Middle Peninsula region had the second lowest congestion level in Virginia, surpassed only by its neighbor Northern Neck. Figure 2.3 Congestion Rates (Vehicle Miles Traveled per Road Mile) in Virginia Regions Northern Virginia Richmond Hampton Roads GW Region Statewide Front Royal Culpeper Charlottesville Roanoke Middle Peninsula Northern Neck 3,109 2,949 2,378 2,360 1,947 1,579 1,056 4,975 4,887 4,684 8, ,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 Source: Virginia State of the Commute Study, 2007 Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan 2-9

24 Public Transportation Bay Transit, the public transportation authority of Bay Aging, is the only public transportation provider in the Middle Peninsula and has a service area of nearly 3,000 square miles that includes 12 counties and an estimated population of 150,000 people. The service is advertised through the Rideshare website and in its promotional pamphlet, the Middle Peninsula Commuter Guide. The current one-way fare within one county is $1. It is double ($2) each way when crossing county lines 2. The historical evolution of the service began in 1998, when Bay Transit took over the operations of the former Colonial Beach Transit. It continues to operate as a not-for-profit community transit service, providing service to the Middle Peninsula Counties of Essex, Gloucester, King and Queen, King William, Mathews, and Middlesex; the Northern Neck Counties of Lancaster, Northumberland, Richmond, and Westmoreland; and the Richmond-Petersburg Region Counties of Charles City and New Kent. Based on 24-hour advance notice requests, Bay Transit provides on-demand bus transportation to the general population, seniors, and individuals with disabilities and offers several fixed route shuttles in some of the Towns. Constraints regarding crossing jurisdictional boundaries hamper use of Bay Transit services for most commuters in the region. There is a strong need for fixed route transit service, particularly on Route 17, which Bay Transit currently cannot serve. There is very little transit between different jurisdictions, and none to outside the region. Commuter Bus Service Newton Bus Service, based in Gloucester with a satellite facility in Richmond, offers commuter bus service to one significant employer in the Peninsula area and charter bus service to other destinations. The company markets its motorcoach service availability for groups to access destinations such as Williamsburg, Richmond, Tidewater, Charlottesville, Baltimore, Eastern Shore area, Fredericksburg, Washington, DC, and New York City. Bicycle and Pedestrian Facilities Facilities for bicycling and pedestrian use are very limited in the region, even for recreational use. Hence, they are an even less likely choice for commuting to work. One notable exception is the Riverwalk Trail located in the Town of West Point in King William County, which was constructed as part of a VDOT Transportation Enhancement Grant. Currently, the path begins at the West Point 2 Source: Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan

25 Public Schools and extends down Chelsea Avenue and along the Mattaponi River, under the Lord Delaware Bridge and into the Downtown area. Future extensions to this trail are in the planning process. Another VDOT-sponsored program to enable walking and biking in the region is focused specifically on school children. The Safe Routes to School Program assists interested localities and schools across the Commonwealth with the development of programs and infrastructure improvements to make walking and biking to school a safe and desirable option for students in kindergarten through eighth grade. In the Middle Peninsula Region, the Town of West Point was awarded funding to develop a Student Travel Plan and to construct additional sidewalks and safety infrastructure to encourage children to travel to school in non-motorized ways. West Point s Student Travel Plan was approved by VDOT in 2008 and the Town was awarded funding for an infrastructure project in Park-and-Ride Lots Figure 2.4 depicts the location of park and ride lots in the Middle Peninsula Region graphically, whereas Table 2.2 lists each lot by jurisdiction, road/nearest intersection, and estimated number of available spaces. There are a total of 12 lots with approximately 785 available parking spaces for commuters: - Essex County (2 lots); - Gloucester County (3 lots, or almost 41 percent of all spaces in the region); - King and Queen County (1 lot); - King William County (1 lot); - Mathews County (3 lots); and - Middlesex County (2 lots). Figure 2.5 shows the ratio of park and ride spaces to commuters in the Middle Peninsula region relative to other regions throughout Virginia based on 2006 data provided by VDOT. Middle Peninsula has a fairly substantial number of park and ride spaces available compared to other regions- 20 spaces for every 1,000 commuters. Only the GW Region has a higher ratio of spaces to commuters. Reported usage of some of these lots by Middle Peninsula residents appears to be low, as they are poorly located and/or perceived as unsafe. Less than one percent of Middle Peninsula residents surveyed for the 2007 Virginia State of the Commute study reported using a park and ride lot when commuting to work in the last year, reflecting the traditional tendency to drive alone over joining a carpool or vanpool. Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan 2-11

26 Figure 2.4 Major Commuter Lots in the Rideshare Service Area Source: Rideshare 2-12 Rideshare Long-Range TDM Plan